Blood of the Beast
by redroses100
Summary: Khan's blood didn't only save Lucille Harewood and Captain Kirk. Before both of them, there was Quinn Ryker, the current youngest Billionaire in Europe. And strangely, she's the only one of the three that Khan wants. And she can't escape someone who's very blood keeps her alive.
1. Chapter 1

My name is Quinn Ryker. I've lived on earth since I was a child, but I'm not actually human. My parents never told me where I was born, nor what I was born as. And they died when I was barely a teenager. After making a deal with a strange man to save my life. I was put in an orphanage. It was from the orphanage that I watched as the same strange man who saved my life bombed a London Archive, using the same deal he made with my parents to force a Star-fleet officer to destroy the building and 27 people. But the bombing, and the deal that preceded it was nearly a year after my parents were dead. And then I watched his trial, and subsequently his sentence to be cryogenically frozen again. Watching that was the hardest part. Because I could feel the ice in my own body as it covered his. I've felt cold ever since.

I was adopted soon after, by an old woman who needed a young girl to be with her as her life started to decline. She became my grandmother, I suppose. And so I had to tell her about how connected I felt to the terrorist and murderer, Khan was his name I found out later. I had to tell her that I had sometimes painfully real dreams about him. A man I'd never seen before except on television. And he was achingly familiar. I even told her how his blood saved my life when I was little. And that because it did, my parents died. They made a deal for me, just like that star-fleet man in London did. And they died as well.

She told me not to worry about it. That it was probably just stress and maybe even PTSD from loosing my family at such a young age. And so I tried to ignore it. I did my best to be a good companion and granddaughter to that sweet old woman. And we grew so attached that five years later, when she died and left everything to me, I cried the most bitterly of them all. Even her real grandchildren could not match my soul consuming agony.

I became the youngest billionaire in Europe. Eighteen, and already bizarrely rich. What surprised me was that her family didn't even challenge her will. They knew how close we were, and how much she adored me. So they let me keep her estate and all her wealth, in exchange for job security for their family for the rest of their lives in her company. And I readily granted it. They were all I had then. Them and a really big house that I didn't know what to do with. I even came to view them as an extended family of sorts. I would invite them over for holidays and sometimes just for social visits when I had nothing else to do. Her two sons, their wives, and their children were regular visitors to my home. But her daughter was hardly ever available to meet with us, as she was busy making millions of dollars at her job.

All in all, I felt like things were getting better. Four years after she died, after I became Miss Ryker, billionaire, things were pretty normal. I had regular visits from friends and "extended family". I increased the worth of what was left to me through good decisions and investments. If it weren't for the feeling of constant cold, everything would be perfect. But everything needs a bit of reality to spoil it I suppose.

OOOOO

I get several smiles as I walk briskly through the halls of my mansion towards the dining room, my two caretakers following me. The men and women who work for me here in the mansion all adore me, or so I've been lead to believe. No one has ever said they disliked me or how I run my house. So I let myself believe I'm a nice person who other people like. And the smiles and waves and greetings I receive only help to confirm such ideas.

"Miss Ryker, there's someone at the door for you." An old woman I employ as a sort of maid tells me happily as she catches sight of me. I thank her for telling me and let her lead me to the door, which is still open. Outside a girl with gorgeous dark skin and black silky hair is standing, looking awkward. She's a few years younger than me, but she's definitely an adult. One who looks as astonishingly healthy as I do. I've been told by numerous doctors and physicians that short of a phaser directly to my brain, not much will hurt or kill me. And I've never been sick. Not since the illness that nearly killed me as a child. My caretakers stand off to the side, with suspicious glances at the girl and each other.

"Hello." I say politely. Though for some reason, this girl feels familiar. And it's kinda creeping me out. I can tell by the way she's relaxing in my presence that she must also feel the shock of familiarity. She reaches out a hand.

"I'm Lucille Harewood." I shake her hand, trying to think why her name sounds so familiar.

"Quinn Ryker." I reply.

"I know miss. I'm here to speak to you about something I believe we have in common. May I?" She asks, and I quickly step aside to let her in. "Is there somewhere we can speak? In private?" Leeda and Zaharis, my caretakers, look alarmed, but I nod.

"This way. Leeda, Zaharis, can you ask cook to postpone lunch a little?" I ask.

"Miss are you sure this is-"

"All is well Leeda." I promise, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. The two of them have been with me since my grandmother was alive. They look at me like their child. But they know better than to doubt me or try to change my mind. So they nod and walk away together, very slowly in case I should change my mind. Instead I turn back to Lucille and guide her towards my study. It's really the only place unmonitored and soundproof in my quite large mansion. A place of solitude and quiet for the days after the worst nightmares. When I can't stand to be around anyone, I go to my study.

"I thank you for this. I know it must all seem so strange." She says nervously.

"A little. But I have a feeling it is necessary." I close the door softly and take one of the three large armchairs that face each other and a fireplace in a sort of square. She takes the chair opposite of me and immediately goes to her bag. I'm alarmed as she takes out a vial of...blood?

"This is my blood. Only, it's not just my blood. I know you remember the bombing of the Kelvin Memorial Archive. I know you remember because it was done by the man who saved your life. A blood transfusion when you were young, wasn't it?" I'm stunned. Hardly anyone knows that! How could this girl possibly have access to such data?

"Where did you get your information?" I ask, with numb shock in my voice.

"Your doctor. I kept having dreams about you, and about the man who saved both our lives." Realization snaps in my brain. Harewood. This is the other girl who Khan saved. In exchange for her fathers life. She holds up the vial. "I can prove it, if you want me to. I'm sure your blood and mine will match." She says earnestly.

"No, I believe you. I never thought we would meet though." I admit. She gives me a sheepish smile. "Why now?" Her smile disappears and she puts the vial away.

"My dreams are getting worse. More vivid and haunting. I see him almost every night. The man who killed my father. The man who's blood is in my veins. I need your help. I thought you would be interested in my proposal as well." She roots through her bag again, finding what she wants and handing me a file. "Dr. Leonard McCoy. He's come up with a sort of serum that can separate normal blood from Khan's. He discovered it after having to use Khan's blood to resurrect his captain. But...the serum, and the Doctor consultation, is expensive. I've come to you asking you for a loan. I can repay you in time. But I need him out of me. I need Khan out of my blood." She tears up as she speaks, and by the time she's done speaking her voice is soft as a whisper.

"There will be no loan." I decide. "It will be a gift." She starts to protest but I shake my head. "I am the most stubborn girl you will find on this side of the known universe. You will not convince me. You have suffered long enough." Now her tears flow freely. She sniffles and nods, gratitude very evident in her eyes.

"How can I possibly thank you? You don't even know me, and you are doing this for me." A smile finds its way onto my face.

"I do know you. I've had the dreams as well. I knew you were familiar." We both laugh, but it's bittersweet. We spend a little longer talking about the Doctor and the serum before I invite her to lunch with me. After a bit of convincing, she agrees to the invitation and we walk together to the dining room. Leeda and Zaharis still look suspicious and unconvinced of this girls motives, but they don't mention it.

"Mr. Andrew and Mr. David will be coming for dinner tonight Miss." Leeda informs me after a short phone call. A natural smile lights my face. My grandmother's two sons are like angels sometimes. And I can't wait to tell them about this interesting serum. They know how much I dislike the thought of a murderer in my blood. They've heard me cry over it many times before. I'm sure they'll support me and Lucille on this.

"Who are they?" Lucille asks curiously.

"The woman who left me this house and her wealth had three children. David, Andrew, and Cody. But Cody is a girl. Andrew and David come over frequently with their wives and children, but we only really see Cody on big holidays. I hope you don't mind, having more company?" I ask, suddenly concerned. For how familiar Lucille is to me, I don't really know much about her.

"Oh, I do not mind. Besides, as I am a guest, I have no room to complain regardless. But, I must say I'm curious. Why did she leave this to you, if she had three children and many grandchildren. Wouldn't one of them inherit it?" Leeda looks offended for me, but I give Lucille and Leeda a friendly smile to show both of them I'm not offended.

"Veronica, the woman who took me in, grew to see me as a daughter and granddaughter as well as a friend and a student. We grew closer than even her and her children. They were tutored and raised by nannies as children, but she spent so much quality time with me that I was more blood to her than her three children. And as sad as it may seem, even they recognized that. So she left almost everything to me, and they let it go. On the condition that I employ them and their families for as long as the company was in my hands. And I intend for them to have jobs as long as possible." I explain to her.

"You are so kind. Given your circumstances, not knowing your true race, and your parents dying so young, I would assume you would be bitter. And spoiled too, after having inherited so much. But you defy my every expectation." I don't know whether to be flattered that she thinks I'm kind, or annoyed that people might think of me so lowly.

"How did you come to know my story? You saw me in the dreams, but then what?" Leeda and Zaharis exchange looks of surprise, but I give them looks to tell them now is not the time for their questions. They're both clearly annoyed by my attitude of no-questions-asked today, but neither can really do anything about it. Leeda, thoroughly vexed by my behavior, decides to take her leave. But Zaharis stays sitting, pretending to be reading a newspaper.

"I went to the archive, the public one, and did a memory sketch of your face. And from there I found you. You're business ventures and critics were foremost to be found. But I dug deeper and found your adoption record, and from there your hometown. I visited it, much to my mothers dismay, and spoke to the doctor who cared for you when you were younger. He told me that you presented a real trouble for him. Constantly sick, but he had no idea what race you were so he could hardly ever do anything about it. Then suddenly, you recovered from every ailment. A day after your stunning improvement of health, he said you parents died in an explosion and you were sent to the orphanage. Then I knew it was you I was looking for. So I came here, hoping to find someone at least a little compassionate. Instead you greeted me like an old friend." She smiles so shyly, but so gratefully that it makes me smile too.

"And your mother? Isn't she relieved that you can now be rid of the monster that killed your father?" At least she still has a mother.

"She wishes I would forget about it, and just stay home with her. She wishes I would let this go. But she doesn't understand what it's like. Knowing the murderer of my father is in my veins is torture for me. And the dreams leave me restless for days. So real. I had one with both you and him in it, so deeply disturbing that I couldn't sleep for near a week." I want to ask what the dream was about, but I don't want to make her relive such an obviously traumatic event.

"Well it will soon be over. We can meet with the Doctor tomorrow, if you'd like." She nods excitedly, her hair almost falling in her bowl of soup. "You should stay here tonight. I have far too many guest rooms and hardly ever any guests. And I can call the Doctor right to the mansion. Comfort is always necessary on times that fray the nerves." Zaharis looks up from his newspaper so suddenly I'm worried he might rip it. But I ignore him.

"I could not impose on you in such a manner. Not after you're already-"

"It is no bother. And I feel I know you already. Very well. It would be nice to have someone to speak to. Someone else who...understands." Zaharis frowns. He doesn't like my decision one bit. And I have no doubts I'll be getting a little lecture from him and Leeda before much longer. Again I ignore him, instead watching Lucille's internal debate. She's much to sweet and humble of a girl to readily accept my invitation so easily.

"Miss Ryker, I really couldn't expect you to dote on me so much."

"My name is Quinn. Call me Quinn. And please stay. I need company. Company of my own age." I add with a glance at Zaharis. He's still frowning. "Please Lucille, it is really no imposition." Again she internally frets. But it's a loosing battle from the look of it.

"Well if I do stay, feel free to be rid of me whenever I begin to be an inconvenience." She pleas. I laugh, but nod for her sake.

"Okay, it's a deal." We return to eating and it's very quiet for what seems like a long time. Even when I've done eating, she's still working on her lunch, so I call for a book to read, moving to the sitting room, Lucille joining me once she's done. Leeda brings me a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. As modern as my mansion is, I still enjoy reading actual books, quite immensely. I hardly ever read off of tablets and screens. To me, a real book is one made of paper and ink.

"Miss Ryker, your guests are here." Zaharis tells me some time later. I immediately close my book and tell Lucille that I shall return swiftly. Like a child, I bound to the door to greet David and Andrew and their wives, Amy and Amanda. As well, David and Amy have brought their two children, Darwin and Helen. And Andrew and Amanda have their boys, Leroy, Murphy, and Zack. I greet each one with a huge and a smile, laughing as Andrew tells me I've gotten shorter. He always brags that he's nearly a foot taller than me, at 6'4". I stand a measly 5'5". Shorter than both my adoptive brothers and their wives. And Leroy has already outgrown me by an inch, at only thirteen. He's going to be extremely tall. And Darwin is my height exactly. It's almost frustrating being in a family of tall people. But I could never be really frustrated with them. Not for too long anyways. They're all I have for a family.

"So what's for dinner?" Andrew asks as I invite them in.

"Andrew, be polite!" Amanda scolds, but it's half hearted. Andrew never stops eating, but he's very thin. I almost hate him for it. But my alien metabolism also works supremely well. And I'm sure, much to my dismay, that Khan's blood has something to do with it. Oh, that reminds me!

"I actually have some big news for you. But first, I have to introduce you all to someone." They all share looks of curiosity and interest and follow me obediently. I left Lucille in the sitting room, hopefully she's not offended by my leaving, and she's exactly where she was when I left. She stands though when my adoptive siblings come in.

"Hello." She says shyly.

"Lucille this is David, his wife Amy, and their children Darwin and Helen. And this is Andrew, his wife Amanda, and their children Leroy, Murphy, and Zack. And this is Lucille Harewood." I introduce, then gesture that everyone can sit down.

"Harewood...why does that sound so familiar?" David, the more intellectual of the two brothers, wonders aloud. I'm sure he read all about the bombing at the time, but he's constantly searching for new things to learn about and has probably forgotten. Amy too looks reminiscent. But neither of them can quite place Lucille.

"Her father was the poor man forced by Khan to blow up the Kelvin Memorial Archive." I supply, and realization dawns on all four of the adults faces. For their part, the kids just look bored. They know it's not really a kid conversation. Leroy even pulls out his phone. But he may be researching the incident. He's pretty smart, like his uncle. "And, she was also saved from illness like I was. Also by Khan." Again they have a little 'oh' moment before subsiding. Helen too takes out her phone. "Uh, the game room is open guys." Immediately all five of the children are gone, leaving just the four adults, Lucille, and me.

"So...are you two like...siblings?" Amanda wonders.

"No. Our blood is similar thanks to Khan's blood, but we are not related or anything." I explain, but it is an interesting thought. I glance at Lucille and she smiles very softly, like she would consider it a good thing to be related to me.

"Oh. So...did you find her, or..." Amy asks curiously.

"I sought Miss Ryker out. I had strange dreams and they would sometimes feature her face. I knew there was a reason. So I did research and found out that we shared a blood link due to our childhood illnesses and the deals made by our parents that saved us. But ultimately destroyed our parents." Lucille supplies. And while my siblings know my story pretty well, they all look sympathetic to hear that she also had a childhood wracked with suffering and anxiety.

"What do you intend to do now?" David is the one to ask.

"Ah, this is the important part. Before Khan was frozen, a doctor named McCoy had to use Khan's blood to save his captain. And McCoy discovered a serum that could separate the genetically altered blood from the human blood. With the serum, we could remove Khan's blood from our veins. We could be rid of his blood, and hopefully the strange dreams and guilt that comes with it." I realize how excited I sound only after I've finished talking. They can all tell how hopeful I am that this is truly the answer I've searched for. But...they don't look as happy as I imagined they would. "What is it?"

"It's just...what if his blood is the only thing keeping you alive? Or you Lucille. I don't know the exact details of your illness, but what if has lingered in you blood, only being kept at bay by Khan's blood? What if, by taking out the blood that kept you alive as a child, you lower your defenses and the disease kills you? Then everything your father did would be for nothing." David explains sadly. Both Lucille's and my face falls. I hadn't thought of that. Why didn't I think of that?

"And Quinn, you were so frequently sick as a child. You've told us as much. The only reason you have been so blessedly healthy for your adult life has been that blood. We've all discussed it in private, and we've all agreed to that fact. We know you hate having his blood in you, but it's keeping you alive sweety." Amy has a heavy hearted voice, but it does nothing to comfort me. Are they really telling me I can never separate myself from the monster who killed so many?

"No. There has to be a way. Even if I do die, at least I will die without him tainting me." Lucille proclaims. I jump a little. She's so vehement.

"You would literally die to be rid of him?" Andrew asks quietly.

"I would. I cannot endure this any longer. This constant guilt of being attached to my father's murderer. The cursed dreams. And the damned cold!" My head immediately snaps up. She looks directly at me. For the first time I notice she's wearing thick cargo pants and a heavy jacket. Hardly summer wear. But here I am wearing insulated jeans and a long sleeve shirt. While the others are in light, airy clothes, both Lucille and I look like we're freezing. And...we are. Only it's psychological cold, and that's worse than real cold.

"You feel the ice too." I state. She doesn't even need to reply for me to know I've spoken truth. David clears his throat.

"I'm sorry Quinn, but I can't allow you to make such a rash decision. When are you meeting with this McCoy fellow?" He demands.

"Hopefully tomorrow." I say, a bit numbly now that my hope is gone again.

"Then I will stay and meet him with you. And if he is one hundred percent sure that you will survive this serum procedure, then I will allow it." He decides. I look up at him. As happy as I am that he wants me to be safe, I'm still much to tired of the whole conversation. Especially now that it's a seemingly lethal conversation. I look at Lucille, who looks lost suddenly. She's been wanting this for so long, and now it may never happen. She may never be able to be rid of him, unless she is really willing to die.

"I think I will retire early. I am suddenly very tired. I have asked Leeda to contact McCoy, if he replies, please let me know." They all nod, some a little guiltily that they've caused me such unrest. No one speaks as I go, no one quite knows what to say. And I certainly don't know how I would respond to whatever they could say.

OOOOO

As worn as I feel, I still can't sleep hours after I've retired. I'm sure they've taken supper and are all watching the news downstairs, but I cannot convince myself to join them. My heart feels very heavy. I got my hopes up, and it appears that it was a foolish choice. But I feel even worse for Lucille. When I lost my parents to Khan, I was taken in by a loving and kind woman and her children. But Lucille lost a father. One she never replaced from the sound of things. And that must make her guilt so much heavier. With a deep sigh I turn only my stomach and will sleep to hurry up and take me already.

"It won't work." My eyes shoot open at the deep baritone voice that's suddenly so close to me. But when I sit up, there's no one there. I look around as well as I can with my room being dark, but nothing meets my eyes. However the voice is real enough as it speaks again. "You will never be rid of me Quinn. Not even if you burn every drop of my blood from your veins, I will always be inside of you." The invisible man whispers in my ear, his voice so threatening and overpowering. I can feel my breathing speeding up and my heart in my throat. This isn't happening. Khan is frozen, in a secret basement somewhere. Far away. Forgotten. "Forgotten? No. Not by you at least. And not by Lucille either. Poor thing." He purrs, and for some reason it's infuriating. The way he said her name.

"You would mock her?" I snap at the voice. He chuckles heavily.

"I would kill her if it suited me. Just because she has my blood does not make her special to me." He sneers. Fingers slowly slide across my throat from behind me and I'm too afraid to even scream. The voice is suddenly attached to a very real person. Or at least he feels real. I can feel the heat from his skin soaking into me from where he sits behind me. His thumb makes slow, torturous circles right beneath my ear, but the threat of his hand on my throat prevents me from relaxing. "But you..." He trails off, and I'm not sure I want to hear what he's going to say.

"Please stop." I whimper. His other hand rests on my side before slowly curving around to my stomach. He pulls me back towards him until my back is against his firm chest. "This isn't real. This isn't real. It's a dream again. It's not real." I say to myself. That dark chuckle sounds again, right in my ear. His lips touch my neck, and his hold on my throat tightens.

"NO STOP IT!" I scream, sitting up quickly. My eyes are wet and my head hurts really really bad. But worse is the sight that greets my streaming eyes. David, Andrew, Amy, and Amanda are all alarmingly close to me, concern written all over their faces. And behind them, Lucille looks at me knowingly.

"Quinn?" Amanda sounds so worried for me. They obviously want to know what had me so worked up, but how could I even begin to explain it to them?

"I'm...I'm alright. Just a...nightmare." They don't believe me for one second that it was just another nightmare. But I'm way, way to stubborn to admit anything else. Amanda tucks hair behind my ear, grazing the spot that Khan was rubbing so sensually. Sensually? Where did that come from? I flinch away from the contact as soon as the thought crosses my mind. They all notice, especially Lucille. Lucille. She's the only one who could really understand. I need to talk to her. "Could...could you guys give us a minute?" They all look shocked, but slowly leave until it's just the two of us. She approaches cautiously and sits down at the edge of my bed. "You said you had a dream with me and Khan in it. I need to know what it was about." She looks uncomfortable, but I don't let up with the intensity of my gaze. She heaves a big sigh.

"He was trying to kill me. And you tried to stop him. You jumped right in front of me right before he could shoot me. He said I wasn't worth loosing your life for, but you still didn't move. And he started to look at you really weird. Saying stuff about how similar you were to him, and his crew. How you belonged with them. You belonged with him. And he made you kiss him. He grabbed you and he kissed you even while you fought him." She stops, horror in her eyes. I feel hollow as she talks. My heart sinks all the way to my toes.

"But...why?" I barely manage to whisper.

"I don't know. But it was after that dream that I knew I had to find you. I had to make sure he wouldn't do it in real life. Or in your dreams. This blood serum is the only way we can ever be rid of him Quinn. It's the only way we can stop him from doing this." We lock eyes and I slowly nod. I don't know why Khan is doing this, or how he is doing this. But it needs to stop. It needs to stop now, before it gets any worse.

OOOOO

A/N: So this is an idea I got while I was dead bored one night. The moment struck me and took me away and held me captive until I wrote it. And it sucks cuz I should have been working on my other stories. But I kinda like this one. And if you do too, let me know and I'll continue. But I'm warning you right now, up front, that I'm a slow updater and I have a lot of stories to work on right now, plus other things that I do during the day. All that adds up to slow goings when it comes to fanfiction. I'm sorry in advance, but I'll try to keep up.


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: I hope I got everything as politically correct as possible. Though I did spend a few minutes debating whether or not they would use band aids in the future. Probably not, but maybe McCoy is old fashioned. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter, I like it._

_Oh, but before you read, there's a few things I need to bring up. There's some definite cradle robbing in this chapter, and probably all the following ones. Just fluff, no M rated material. And besides, it's the future. Hell maybe we'll all be with older men and women in the future. I hope so, as all the boys my age are dill holes in my town. But anyways, that's my warning. If you don't like cradle robbing scenarios, don't get mad at me, just get over yourself._

OOOOO

I glance nervously at Lucille as we sit waiting. Dr. McCoy told us he would be coming, quite enthusiastically as well. Apparently his captain is too, being very interested in anything that has to do with Khan. After what I've heard happened between Khan and the captain, I'm not surprised. Being killed and brought back to life must have left an impression. But, it's just rumors and now I'm actually going to meet James Tiberius Kirk. I can ask him if it's true and also ask McCoy if I can be saved from Khan's blood. But it's already noon and they're not here yet. Every second that passes, I get more and more afraid that they won't come.

"Do you want a magazine or something?" Andrew clears his throat from across the sitting room. He's uncomfortable with my anxiety. He's always been more feeling oriented, while David is intellectual. I don't know which is more valuable, so I try to be equal parts smart and emotional. But sometimes it's hard to keep in quite the right balance.

"I'm fine." I lie. Lucille glances at me from the corner of her eye, doubtfully. But before anything else can be said, there's a firm knock on the door. Lucille and me shoot up and run to the door just as my maid is opening it. Outside are three men. Well...two men and a Vulcan. One is blond and wears a yellow shirt, while the other two wear blue shirts. The non Vulcan, non blond one is holding a case and looks around the maid at us, surprise on his face.

"Can I help you?" The maid asks.

"Let them in." I immediately tell her, opening the door wider. The three men step in hesitantly and I close the door behind them.

"Hi there. I'm Leonard McCoy. This is Captain James Kirk, and Mr. Spock." The guy with the bag tells me. I can't help but smile at his southern voice. He's a lot younger than I imagined, but they're all bizarrely young.

"I'm Quinn Ryker. And this is my friend Lucille Harewood." Kirk immediately perks up.

"Harewood, like Kelvin Memorial Archive, Harewood?" He asks. She nods shyly. "I feel like I know you. Both of you." I glance at Lucille, who blushes, but nods.

"For a little while, I had dreams with you in them. But only a short period of time, whereas I've seen Khan and Quinn for years." She explains. I remember having a few dreams with Kirk, but not many. And obviously Kirk's had a few with us. McCoy looks at him with a raised eyebrow and Mr. Spock looks a bit suspicious.

"And you say it's Khan's blood that does it? Gives you the dreams?" McCoy asks.

"Yes. Oh, I'm sorry I'm not being a very gracious host. The sitting room is through here, and my siblings are waiting for us." I take Lucille's arm and we lead them back towards the nicely furnished room. David and Andrew are standing, looking very wary of anyone who should come in. I don't think they're prepared for the three guys who do arrive. I make the introductions and gesture to different couches and chairs that can be sat in. Kirk immediately takes an armchair, looking like he just naturally fits in, and Lucille sits next to Amanda. But I remain standing with Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy. I'm far to nervous to sit.

"I'm sorry, but you look so young to be _the_ Quinn Ryker. I know you're the youngest Billionaire of the century, but...I never imagined you this young. You can't be older than 25." Kirk comments.

"I'm 22. But some days I feel much older. Usually it's after I have one of the dreams." An involuntary shudder goes down my spine at the thought. Especially the dream I had last night. It felt so real, so incredibly, hauntingly, painfully real. McCoy sets down his bag and opens it, pulling out some sort of scanner.

"I'm going to run a scan and see how much blood is still in your body. Miss Harewood." She stands up and McCoy runs the scanner over her wrist and arm, following her veins. He makes a few noises, like he's talking to himself, before taking away the scanner. "Not too much, looks to be only a few ounces. Miss Ryker?" I roll up my sleeves and present my wrist to him. He does the same, only a deep frown settles over his features. He moves the scanner to the veins of my neck, the frown only getting deeper. Then he glances up, his eyes landing on my neck where Khan's thumb was rubbing. He gently prods at the area and I find that it's sore. "What happened here?" He asks.

"What do you mean?" I return, fear suddenly coursing through my veins. David, Andrew, and Lucille step up to look as well, and the other squint from where they are.

"There's a bruise. Did you recently spend alone time with a boyfriend?" McCoy blushes a little, and I blush too.

"Jealous Bones?" Kirk smirks and the blush on both our faces gets redder.

"I don't have a boyfriend." I state before McCoy can get mad at Kirk. "But...I had a nightmare last night that was really bad, and..._he_ was touching me there. It's just...how can something that happened in my sleep become real on my body?" McCoy looks deep in thought before deciding to run the scanner over the bruise.

"Miss Ryker you have a considerably greater amount of Khan's blood in you than Miss Harewood. Specifically around the bruise. I mean, there's even more than the captain had, and we had to replace a lot of his. How old were you, when you got the transfusion?"

"Uh I was almost thirteen." He looks shocked.

"What you say cannot be possible Miss Ryker. For that much of Khan's blood to have lingered for almost ten years, he would have had to transfuse a great deal into your body. It would take a very serious toll." Mr. Spock states in a voice that is so very Vulcan.

"What kind of toll?" I immediately ask.

"Some physical symptoms could include fatigue, nausea, allergic reaction, hives, fever, headache, even lung failure. But I am more concerned about the potential mental effects of such an act. Having such a great quantity of your natural blood be removed and replaced with a foreign substance would be traumatizing at best. Hallucinations a definite possibility." He explains, brief and emotionless.

"My doctor said I had no physical maladies of any kind after the transfusion. But that I immediately started having night terrors. And I would talk to the orphanage psychiatrist about feeling guilty and connected to someone who I had never met. And...when Khan was frozen, I felt myself freeze as well. Lucille did too. We are always cold. Because he's in ice and we are connected." McCoy sighs and puts away his scanner.

"Okay. Do you have a laboratory or an extra room where I can set up some equipment?" He asks in a voice all too close to hopeful. I smile as I realize that yes, I do have such a room!

"Yeah. Before my grandmother died, the doctors moved in to be closer to her in an event of an emergency. I think they left behind some stuff and I just never got around to getting rid of it." I explain and jump up to lead them. Mr. Spock follows me and McCoy is close behind us. Lucille tags along with Kirk, who waits for my siblings to march along behind the three of us before he follows. David catches up with McCoy and starts asking him about the procedure and effects it had on Kirk and how great a success rate is to be expected. I'm kind listening, until Spock starts talking.

"I admit I am curious as to the content of your dream Miss Ryker. You mentioned Khan was touching your neck. Was he hurting you?" He sounds like he's trying to sound sympathetic or caring, but that he's out of practice with it and it's a slow process.

"Oh. Well...it's kinda...embarrassing." I admit with a flush. His head tilts ever so slightly in confusion. I try not to look at him, but his wide dark eyes look so curious.

"I don't understand how a mere dream could cause such emotions." Oh Vulcans. Suddenly I'm not sad it took me 22 years to meet one. I squirm a little bit, even as we walk, but sigh.

"At first I couldn't see him. I just heard him. He told me that even if I took all his blood out, I wouldn't be rid of him. And then I felt his hand on my throat. But he wasn't hurting me. Just touching. And he put his hand on my stomach too, to pull me back against him. I kept telling myself it wasn't real, but it felt so real. And I woke up when he tightened his hold on my neck." There are goosebumps all over my arms when I finish talking, and I'm glad Spock can't see them. He might analyze them and say something monotone and infuriating.

"I see. There is no need to be embarrassed Miss Ryker. It is Khan who should be ashamed of his actions towards you, even in your unconscious state. His power over you should not be exploited." For a Vulcan, and a First Officer of Star Fleet, Spock is kind of naïve.

"How about you call me Quinn. It's faster than Miss Ryker. Less formal too." I plea.

"If you wish." He nods. I fight myself to not roll my eyes and pick up my pace a little. I don't remember exactly where the lab room is, as it has been five years, but I'm pretty sure it's the last door on the East Wing. I bite my lip as we reach said door and put my hand on the handle. They all notice my hesitation. Amanda is the one to step up next to me.

"I know the last time you were here was when she died. Are you gonna be okay?" She whispers, but it's so quiet I think everyone must have heard her. I nod hesitantly before breathing in deep and opening the door. Everything is exactly as it was on that last morning that I came here, years ago. I stand dumbly in the doorway as memories assault my senses, but then Lucille puts her hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry. I'm okay. Uh, the room is yours doctor." I gesture for McCoy and the other two to go in first, still standing near the door. I had no idea I would be this uncomfortable to be in this room again. I always thought I would get over it and dissemble the room eventually. But holy damn. If it doesn't still hurt...

OOOOO

For how much it sucked to come back to this room at first, I haven't been able to leave it for most of the day. Eventually Andrew and Amanda had to be going, to get their kids to some sort of sports practice. But David stayed to talk with Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk. Amy, for her part, is trying to keep Lucille and me from getting nervous or anxious.

"Miss Ryker, dinner is served." Zaharis announces after hours of watching McCoy work with our blood samples. But I find that I'm not really hungry. McCoy too claims that he's still full from lunch and instead keeps working.

"Aren't you at least going to come sit with us?" Amy asks, concern ever present on her face.

"I'll be fine. I like watching the doctor work." I claim, though in fact it's confusing. But she nods anyways and they all trickle out to go to the dining room. I take one of the stools near where McCoy is working and prop my head up on my palm.

"I'm probably not as exciting as Jim and Spock." McCoy tells me as he record a couple of numbers. I shrug.

"I'm probably a buzz kill myself." I admit. He glances up at me with half a smile.

"It's okay. Sometimes it seems like all that happens on the ship is danger and death and end of the world stuff. A nice simple mission like this is welcome." He explains.

"What, Doctor McCoy doesn't appreciate the daring life of CMO aboard the most notorious star fleet vessel in the galaxy?" I ask with a small smirk, leaning forward a bit. He glances at his work for a second then scoots closer to me.

"I'll tell you a secret. Everyone aboard is insane. Completely bonkers. Out of their corn-fed, Vulcan, or oddly shaped minds." He whispers. I make an exaggerated 'OH' face and quirk my finger a little. He leans in closer.

"I don't mean to alarm you, but even Southern bred doctors can go a little wonko in space, Doctor." I grin mischievously.

"I think I went a little space happy a long time ago. Or at least it feels that way when I have to deal with Jim and Spock all day." I giggle and we both lean back. I didn't even notice quite how close we were getting. It's weird, but I feel a tingle in my stomach when I talk to McCoy. I like him. I like talking to him. Is that was having a crush on someone is like?

"Well Doctor McCoy, have you found anything interesting in your fascinating machines?" I ask dramatically. He makes a big show of pointing out his PADD, which has a couple pages of notes typed in already.

"I think I'm par for the course thus far." He returns to looking through his microscope, and then injects some liquid onto the slide. On a screen I can see the liquid seeping into the blood cells on the slide. It immediately starts to attack about one tenth of the cells, turning them brown and shriveling them up until they're completely gone.

"Is that the serum?" I ask.

"Yeah, and it's working pretty good on miss Harewood's blood. It's isolated Khan's cells and neutralized them quick enough. But now I need to observe it too see if there's any lingering sickness in her blood." He explains. That's the part I'm most concerned about. But seeing the serum attacking the cells like that, it's made me kinda worried.

"Is it...I mean does it hurt? The serum?" I ask nervously. He looks up from the slide suddenly.

"I...I don't know. Jim was in a coma when we used the serum. But, we could always induce a coma for you and Miss Harewood. Just a short one, maybe a day or two to smooth over the process." He supposes. I nod, but the worry won't leave me. What if I can still feel it when I'm in the coma? I mean, maybe Kirk did feel it, but was just too nice to tell McCoy.

"How soon will you know about the residual sickness Doctor?"

"Oh, within the hour. You'll be the first to know. Let me test your blood next." I nod. He goes about applying some of the blood he collected onto a slide and putting it under the microscope as well. I watch him work, quiet now that I'm worried about the sickness returning and the serum potentially hurting. He applies a bit of the serum to my blood and I'm shocked at the number of cells that are attacked, as compared to Lucille's blood. McCoy notices me recoiling and puts his hand on mine. "I think it's only fair to warn you Miss Ryker. If we displace so much of your blood by using the serum, you'll need a massive transfusion from someone with your blood type." He states.

"Okay, that's fine." I murmur even though my insides feel all sick all the sudden.

"No, it's not. I don't know what blood type you are. Because of the fact that you're not human, and that we don't know your race, the only blood I'd feel comfortable giving you is the very blood we're trying to take out of you. Until we find your home planet, and someone from there to donate, I would not feel comfortable doing this procedure." I'm sure my face falls from nervous to hopeless in about no seconds flat.

"But...if I don't know what my home planet is...how am I ever going to get him out of me?" I whisper. He squeezes my hand slightly.

"I'll keep researching it, and with a couple more samples of your blood, maybe I can create a synthetic form of it to replace Khan's blood. But it will take a while, and until then you'll just have to be patient. I feel terrible to have to tell you this, especially considering that Miss Harewood could have her procedure as early as the weekend." He remarks. And while I feel glad for my friend, I feel really bad for me.

"Thank you Doctor. For trying." I acknowledge, then sit back a bit to watch him numbly. He nods a small bit. It's quiet for a long time before he talks.

"You know, you can call me Leonard. Or Bones, that's what Jim calls me." I quirk an eyebrow at him, but otherwise don't acknowledge the statement. "You're always calling me doctor, or Doctor McCoy. I'm fine with Leonard." He explains.

"I'll call you Leonard if you call me Quinn." I state. He raises an eyebrow right back at me, but a smile tugs his lips. I like his smile. It's encouraging, especially considering the information I've just received. I smile back despite myself. "You're a lot younger than I imagined you. I mean all the doctor's I've had have either been old guys with silver hair or fit ladies in their fifties." I ramble slightly. He looks through the microscope at something before smiling at me again, this time a bit bigger.

"I'm not as young as I once was though. I'm probably old enough to be your dad."

"Maybe I like older men." A blush brightens my cheeks almost immediately. One colors his as well. I can't believe I just said that! But for some reason, I'm glad I did. "I'm sorry, was that really inappropriate?" I ask, my blush burning beneath my skin. He laughs, but it's very quiet.

"I suppose it's only inappropriate if we decide it is." He says logically. It's awkwardly quiet for a long moment before I can say anything.

"I like you Leonard. I don't know why, but I've never likes someone so immediately as much as I like you. You tell me the truth about stuff and you remind me of myself a bit. Cranky and sarcastic." I tease him, but there's a quiver in my voice. He puts his hand on mine again.

"I like you too. Even if I feel guilty about it for some reason." We both smile. I can tell he's not going to make a move, so I lean forward and kiss him on the cheek.

"I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow?" I ask quietly. He nods, looking a bit awestruck. I touch his hand one more time before hopping off my stool and bouncing out the door. I pop into the dining room to tell them I'm going to bed before taking the stairs two at a time and barging into my room. With a sigh I flop back onto my bed, not even changing out of my jeans and t-shirt.

I lie awake for maybe an hour, just thinking about the day. And about Leonard. I've never been so forward in my entire life! But I'm glad I was. He's a really nice guy, and brilliant as well. Equal parts smart and emotional. Like I try to be. And, I think with a bit of a giggle, he seems to like me too. Maybe I could join the Enterprise. Leave the business to David and Andrew. God, where is all this coming from?! I've never been that girl who just gets incredibly giddy and fangirly! But for some reason I just adore Leonard McCoy. It's strange, but I like it. I like him. At least Khan's blood did something good. It brought Leonard here.

OOOOO

Lucille looked around at the other six people at the table. They were all laughing about something the Captain said and no one noticed her sneak off to "use the loo". She snuck quite silently up to Quinn's room and crept in to look at the sleeping girl. She felt so guilty looking at the sleeping beauty. How could she do this to Quinn? After all the girl had done for her, how could she be expected to do this? Death would be better than betraying this sweet girl.

"_Having second thoughts?"_ The deep dark voice that had started haunting her while she was awake as well as asleep slithered into her brain. She looked over her shoulder. The image of Khan wasn't stable, nor was it ever solid. But it was nearly always there. Threatening her and daring her to resist him.

"I don't want to hurt her." She whispered, her voice choked in her throat. The hallucination like apparition approached the sleeping girl and slid his fingers down her face.

"_I don't want to hurt her either. But I will hurt you unless you do as I say. Remember, we're still linked. And that cold you feel will be like nothing if you don't continue to do as I say."_ The deadly threat in his voice brought a shudder up her spine. He had control over her, and she knew it. She had always known it. From the moment her father gave her the blood that saved her life, she knew she wouldn't escape Khan. But she had never wished for escape so much as she did now. _"Do you understand?"_ The ghost like figure repeated. She nodded, a few tears escaping her eyes. _"Good. You're final task is approaching. And then, you'll be free." _

Despite the promise, Lucille still shivered. The cold was always worse when Khan was near. And she just knew she would be completely frozen before this all ended.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Hey I'm sorry, but this chapter is a bit shorter than my previous ones. It's just I'm building up to this cool scene and I was gonna add it into this chapter, but then it would be ridiculously long, at least by my standards and I don't want to get your hopes up for really long chapters. Cuz I just don't do crazy long chapters. So I decided to post this shorter one as a teaser for the next one, which hopefully will be up soon. So, yeah. Read on!_

OOOOO

"You have a spring in your step today Quinn." Amy comments as I come into the dining room. I give her a big smile, and send one to the other people sitting as well. David and Lucille are sitting on the same side of the table as Amy, and the three _Enterprise_ crewmen have taken the opposite side. I dramatically sit at the head of the table. "Have a good dream?" Amy asks.

"Didn't dream. And sometimes that's better than even a good dream." I point out. Lucille nods at that, looking exhausted. It's obvious to me that she had a dream last night. But I don't want to bring it up if she hasn't already. "Did you all sleep okay?" I ask. Leeda brings me a plate with strawberry waffles and a cup of milk, a smile on her face. She's never really happy unless I'm happy. She's a like a mood ring for me.

"Well the beds here are much more comfortable than the ones on the ship, I'll give you that." Kirk grins at me as he slices his own waffles. Spock has some sort of weird veggie looking food on his plate, and I suppose Leeda must have asked the cook to make him a Vulcan breakfast. And then there's Dr. McCoy...Leonard. He's also loving his waffles, and for some reason I feel so much more happy about him liking them than any of the others.

"Vulcans do not dream, but I am refreshed and renewed." Spock says formally before returning to his Vulcan cuisine.

"Well, ya know, there's no place like home. Somewhere we're returning today." David mentions with a sad smile. "We only meant to stay for dinner on Thursday. A two day sleep over was not in the game plan. And we have to get the kids back home before school starts up again on Monday." He finishes explaining.

"Where are the little monsters?" I feel a bit bad that I'm only just noticing their absence.

"Where do you think. As soon as they woke up they were in the game room. You make it far to enticing for them Quinn." Amy laughs to herself.

"It's enticing for me! You know how much time I spend in there when I get bored? Too much." I admit. They all smile, though it's Leonard's smile I pay the most attention to. "What about you Leonard? Did you sleep okay?" I don't miss the mischievous look that Kirk sends the pair of us, and neither does Leonard, but we both decide to ignore it.

"I dreamed of genes and blood cells. I always seem to get that way after a day of working." We all smile again, and I fight down a blush as Leonard locks eyes with me. Someone's cell phone goes off and David excuses himself. "Did you tell Lucille the good news?" Leonard asks.

"No, I completely forgot!" I'm a bit horrified with myself! How the heck could I forget! "The good Doctor says you can have the procedure as soon as the weekend." I tell her with a bright smile. She seems to glow a bit as I tell her and she smiles with her whole face, first at me, then at Amy, then at Leonard.

"Really? So soon? Oh thank you!" She looks close to tears. "What about you Quinn?" She asks, good intentions in her tone, but crushing at the same time. My smile fades and Leonard and I exchange looks.

"A bit longer." I shrug, trying to seem like it doesn't bother me.

"Well, we should go out and celebrate. There's this club I've wanted to go to since I was a kid! And I thought I'd take you after everything was said and done, as a thank you of sorts, but this is just so wonderful of news! We should go tonight!" She's so bubbly and excited than I can't help but smile again. A club. I haven't been to a club yet. I mean, it's kinda hard to justify going to a club after a board meeting or a press release on the company. I've always felt like too much of a "grown up" to go out clubbing. But...why the hell not?

"I'd love to. You guys should come too. Out treat for pulling you out of the sky." I suggest to Kirk, Spock, and Leonard. Spock looks like he's about to say something, in all probability some highly logical rejection, when Kirk cuts him off.

"Sounds fun! I haven't been to a club in years! What do ya think Bones? You've been working too hard lately, come with us." He nudges Leonard, who looks between my pleading face and Kirk's devilishly smirking face, and sighs in defeat.

"I guess I can take one night off." He admits. I give him a bright smile, secretly screaming inside that he's coming.

"Great, right as we're leaving you go out and do fun stuff." Amy pouts.

"You could let David take the kids home." I suggest.

"No, I went to plenty of clubs when I was your age. Have fun for me, will ya?" Just then David reappears and explains that his old friend is coming into town and wants to have dinner with them, therefore pushing up their departure on their schedule. I fight the urge to roll my eyes. Everything is scheduled and measured for the greatest yield with my adopted brother and his wife. They are extremely practical people. If I didn't love them so much I would suggest that they pull the sticks out of their asses and take a load off. But, they're great people so I don't.

"Come visit again soon. Maybe the next time your threw I'll be pure blooded Quinn." I joke, hugging them then their kids. Helen kisses me on the cheek and they both thank me for allowing them to use the game room. They're so polite and innocent it's almost painful sometimes. But compared to some kids I've seen, they've been raised well. All intelligent and well mannered. I see them out and stand in the doorway until they're all loaded in their car and drive off. I give a wave before they turn at the corner, and the kids wave back. When I turn around, Kirk is right behind me. I jump a bit.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I'm taking the boys out to get them a change of clothes for tonight. You won't miss us too much, will you?" He jokes with a cheeky smile.

"I'll try my hardest." I reply. "But don't stay away too long. And don't talk to strangers! And whatever you do, don't go off the trail in the woods. There are wolves in there and I don't want you to get gobbled up." I add on. Leonard snickers from behind Kirk and even Jim seems more amused than annoyed with my sarcasm.

"I'll keep him on track." Leonard promises. "You two have fun here, we'll be back before long." He adds as the three of them walk out towards their car, which looks marginally more fancy than I would expect. But as Kirk pulls the keys out of his pocket, I realize it was probably his choice. Leave it to him to get something flashy and expensive.

"Have fun." I wave to them too before going back inside to find Lucille. She's standing awkwardly just outside the dining room, and smiles when she sees me. "Hey, wanna play dress up? I need help picking an outfit." I suggest, looping my arm through hers and pulling her along with me. She just smiles. I notice dark shadows under her eyes as we ascend the stairs and am reminded that she probably had a Khan related dream last night. She notices me staring and tries to smile again. "You wanna talk about it?" I ask.

"It was awful. He was chasing us, but he was so much faster than either of us. He caught me first, and you wouldn't keep going, no matter what I told you. So he grabbed you and threw me against a wall. I hit my head and blacked out in the dream, waking up in real life with a headache." She tells me with a wince. I pat her hand in a, hopefully, consoling way. She looks at me, her eyes already lightening. I think just knowing that someone else has felt what she's feeling is helping her. Knowing she's not totally alone with her feelings.

"Would it cheer you up to hear a secret?" I ask, feeling a bit like a teenager again. Gossiping with friends about who lives who. She nods enthusiastically and I start to tell her about how I feel about Leonard as we reach my room. I tell her about how I opened up to him so quickly, making him laugh and him making me laugh and our banter. She nods occasionally, eyes bright with amusement. I pull out clothes to consider as I talk, and by the time I'm done, I have half my closet on my bed.

"I can't believe you don't have more clothes. You're a billionaire. A 22 year old billionaire. You should have a closet that needs it's own map." She tells me with a smirk. I laugh.

"I never saw the point of having a different outfit every hour. So what do you think?" She considers for a moment then sighs.

"Well it's hardly a big selection, but I think we can do something."

"I meant about Leonard and me." I roll my eyes.

"Oh! I think it would be adorable. I mean, he's a bit older than you, but this is the 23rd century! I hardly think it's taboo anymore. And he's really cute too! Like the cutest doctor I've ever seen!" She rambles and I blush a bit about the cute part. She notices and makes a big deal of pinching my cheeks. I slap away her hand playfully, trying to scowl at her but not succeeding. How could I possibly get mad at Lucille for real? Then I turn my attention to the clothes littered over my bed. Lucille does as well, happily sizing up my choices.

"You're right, it's not much." I grimace.

"It's enough. Try this on!" She exclaims, shoving something in my hands and pushing me towards the bathroom.

"Do you mind if change in here?" I ask. Her eyes flick to the windows, wide open for the world to see. I laugh and quickly pull the curtains shut. "Better?" She laughs, but it's tense, like she was looking at something other than the open windows. I'm about to ask, but she just shakes her head.

"Go ahead, I'm not shy." She tells me and sits on my bed to start cataloging the rest of my stuff into different piles. I shrug and pull off my jeans, pulling on the skinny black jeans that she gave me. It always takes me like a full minute to get these jeans on. They are fiercely skinny, but they look damn good on me. When I pull off my shirt, Lucille's eyes flick to the window again, but there's nothing there. Nothing I can see anyway. But she's back to looking at clothes before I can ask, so I leave it be. She's given me green shirt with black checkerboard designs on the hem and sleeves. It's pretty cute, but I don't know how comfortable I'd be in the jeans all night. I model it to Lucille anyways and she smiles.

"These things are unforgiving." I motion to the jeans and she smiles.

"Then take them off, there's plenty else to try on." Ten outfits later I decide on a pair of light blue skinny jeans, but not nearly as skinny as the black ones, and a dark red tank top with the same color lace over the sold fabric. The lace swoops to the side and into a bow at the bottom. I do an exaggerated spin to show it off and she claps.

"What are you gonna wear?" I ask as I start hanging up the rejects. She looks startled, probably not considering her own outfit while we were working on mine.

"I have a few things that might be-"

"Try this on. I think we're the same size." I throw one of my only dresses at her. Amanda got it for me, but it's always been too short for my taste. But Lucille is shorter than me so she might like it. However Lucille hesitates, looking at the dress like she might break it, like it's some sort of holy thing she isn't worthy to touch. "Dude you have to get over this thing about being weary to accept stuff. Try it on goddamn it." I order. Still being shy, she gently sets it down, but starts changing. I keep hanging things up, only stopping to zip her up. The dress does look much better on her than it did on me.

It stops just above her knees, showing off her fabulous legs, and is a deep purple that goes beautifully with her dark skin. It has sleeves, but they're hardly and inch. And it dips down almost scandalously on her chest, but she pulls it off. It's really plain, except for a strip of sparkles around her waist. She looks slightly uncomfortable, but damn does she look hot. I steer her in front of the mirror and it's like all her discomfort just evaporates. She steps closer, peering at herself in almost disbelief. Like she's never seen herself like this.

"You look hot, woman." I tell her.

"Oh my god. I've never worn something like this." She confirms my suspicions before turning around and hugging me tightly. "You are the most amazing and sweet and wonderful friend I have ever had!" She tells me happily. I hug her back with a laugh.

"Thanks! You're pretty amazing and awesome yourself!" I reply, standing next to her to look at myself in the mirror as well. Lucille looks gorgeous but I don't look bad myself, though I hate to sound even the least bit vain. Lucille does for me.

"I hate you a little bit. Here I am in a freaking beautiful work of art, and I still pale in comparison to you." She frowns, but like me, she can't seem to be really actually angry with me. I smile at her compliment, though I don't believe it, and exaggeratedly flounce to the bathroom to do my hair. She follows and starts to experiment with whether she should have her hair up or down. I suggest she puts most of it up in a high pony tail and just leave her bangs and some of her sides down, which she accepts eagerly. I myself plug in my curler to commence an hour long battle with my thick hair.

"If you want to do your make up, my stash in in that cabinet. Beware the spiderwebs though, that stuff hardly sees the light." I joke. She actually looks weary though as she opens said cabinet and pulls out some eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara. It's companionably quiet as I curl my hair and she does her make up. Every now and then she'll ask my opinion on her work and I'll ask her to hand me a hair clip, but other than that it's remarkably silent. Finally after forty minutes, which is much better than I thought it would be, I finish my last curl and unplug my curler. I quickly hairspray it to make sure they don't come out before taking a "Ta-Da!" pose in front of Lucille. She smiles and mock claps.

"Very nicely done." She tells me. I quickly apply a bit of eye liner and a swipe of mascara before calling it good. "See, there you go again, barely using any make up and still looking like a goddess!" She complains. She herself has done an amazing job with her make up, and I tell her so. We're just picking out shoes when Leeda appears to tell us the men folk have returned.

"We'll be right down. You should show them the game room." I suggest, and she walks away after a smile. I return to shoe picking and decide on some silver Vans, an antique I got from Amanda for my graduation. She's always finding expensive and adorable things. After discovering that Lucille is also my size shoe I offer her a pair of black heals, after asking if she's okay with heals. I know that personally they're the bane of my existence, but she seems to have no problem with them.

Leonard and Kirk are playing an old vintage game called Halo when we get to the game room, and Spock is standing to the side looking annoyed with their childishness. He straightens up taller, if that possible, when he sees us in the doorway, and nods curtly. I give him a short wave and walk up behind the two gamers.

"I play winner." I tell them. Leonard looks at me over his shoulder to say something clever, but instead his mouth kind of just stops and hangs. Jim takes advantage of it and kills the game version of Leonard. He cheers for himself before turning around and also becoming glued to the sight of Lucille and me. I glance at her, and she's blushing something fierce. But I smile at her, somewhat smugly. It's nice to be appreciated by men folk.

"Captain you are acting most rudely, hanging your mouth open like that." Spock tells Kirk tensely. Kirk looks at him in annoyance but recollects himself all the same, nudging Leonard, who does the same.

"My turn." I take the controller from Leonard, collapsing on the couch that's in front of the ridiculously huge TV that the game's connected to. Leonard stumbles a bit to get out of the way, still looking a bit awed at my outfit change. Thus far he's only seen me in jeans and t-shirts with my hair in a pony tail. This must be a big difference for him. Apparently a good difference. I look back at Lucille, who's still standing awkwardly by the door. "There's some ancient arcade games over there that are so addicting and fun." I motion towards the big bulky machines and, being eager to do something, she scrambles over. Leonard joins her, probably needing something to distract him. "Spock, you should try one. They're not logical, but they're mind numbingly fun." I tell him. He's about to kindly reject me but Jim cuts him off again.

"Nice try but no luck." He chuckles and starts the round, instantly trying to come after my avatar. I smirk at his forward approach and guide my little guy away. We still have hours before a club would be fun, so I settle into my seat to kick some Jim Kirk ass. The night has just begun and it's going to be glorious.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: So I'm sorry if it seems a bit rushed, I've been kinda out of it lately and I tried to do the best I could. I hope you can bear with me. And I hope you enjoy the chapter!_

_P.S. Here's a few songs I listened to while writing the club scene: Tip Toe _and_ Radioactive _by_ Imagine Dragons. Dark In My Imagination _by_ Of Verona. Blackout _by_ Breathe Carolina. The Growl _by_ Conway. End of Line _by_ Daft Punk._

OOOOO

We end up playing games for nearly four hours, the four of us cycling through almost every game in my very extensive room and Spock standing there looking at times annoyed, but most of the time emotionless. By the time any of us listen to his pleas to "be logical" it's _well_ past sun down. I suggest dinner, but Jim and Lucille both are too anxious to get to the club. He's speeding pretty rapidly when we finally pile into the sports car, Jim driving, Lucille in front, and me in back between Leonard and Spock.

Spock looks as close to irritated as he can likely be, probably wondering why he's being forced to endure this. So when his communicator beeps, he's quick to answer it, probably hoping for some call that will whisk him away from our little group. I can just barely hear a Russian accent speaking to Spock over the wind.

"Commander Spock! You are requested in San Francisco urgently sir!" The kid with the accent claims.

"Affirmative Ensign, I shall attend briskly." He replies stoically and shuts his communicator. "Captain, I must request you take me to the Star Fleet outpost here so I may use the beaming device to travel to San Francisco." Jim glances at Spock in the rear view mirror and a little smirk lights his face.

"Damn, I know you were looking forward to clubbing with us!" He says cheekily but adjust course to drop Spock off. He's driving so fast that we get there in probably record time.

"How many felonies do you have?" I ask sarcastically as Spock gets out. He ignores me with a little smile.

"You'll call if it's anything important?" Jim supposes, to which Spock nods stiffly before walking into the outpost. "Well now that the buzz kill is gone...well one of them...let's be on our way." He jokes, glancing at Leonard in the mirror with a grin. Leonard glares at him but doesn't reply.

I can hear the music from the music from the club blocks away, and as we get closer I can almost feel the pulsing rhythm in my chest. I scramble from the car the second it stops, bouncing slightly in anticipation. I've never been to a legit club before! I mean, by the time I was old enough to go to them, I had no real young friends to go with. I had to take care of a business anyway. Now I grin to myself, feeling giddy for some reason and looking back at Lucille, Kirk, and Leonard happily.

"Come on!" I grab Leonard's hand and pull him along with me towards the impressive building. It looks big from out here, I can only imagine how it'll look inside. Leonard smiles to himself as I drag him with me.

"Never been to club?" He guesses.

"Would you believe me if I lied?" I ask with a smile. We stop at the door to wait for Lucille and Kirk, who are murmuring together about, in all probability, Leonard and me. "If you two are done conspiring, I have a club to explore." I state with a smirk.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Lucille encourages, stepping in before me. There's a drab hallway beyond the door, leading to club, that's guarded by a bouncer. He checks our ID's and we pay the fee and then he ushers us in. immediately my senses are assaulted by the thrumming music and brilliant lights and thick atmosphere that's exploding with action and heat. There's a huge DJ booth set up at the opposite end of the building, but speakers are booming at equal intervals around the long, wide room. To the left is a row of booths and tables, almost all of them empty. And to the right stretches a island bar, with people crowding around to get a drink. Every other inch of the room is dance floor, with panels that light up under people's feet as they writhe and grind together in a mass, the likes of which I've never seen before.

Everything bustles with life and I can hardly hear myself think over the consuming music, which pulses into my very brain and makes my blood rush. I grab Lucille and pull her towards the mass of people, Leonard and Kirk following.

"This is so awesome!" I exclaim, barely being heard over the music.

"I told you it would be! What do you guys think?" She looks back at the men folk, who are both grinning, Kirk a bit more mischievously than Leonard.

"It reminds me of some interesting times!" Kirk tells us.

"You mean times you'd end up bloody nosed and drunk?" Leonard guesses, earning a snarky scowl from Kirk. I grab Leonard's hand and pull him along further into the mass, leaving Lucille and Kirk to do whatever they want to do. I know that Lucille doesn't like Kirk, as she has a boy back in London she likes, but they appear to be good friends already.

"Do you dance Doctor?" I ask with a smile that I hope is encouraging.

"It depends on who's asking." He replies. I'm not even sure how much time is passing. The brilliance and levity of the atmosphere is mind numbing and all consuming. I can't even comprehend when one song ends and another begins. All I know is that I'm dancing, like I've never been able to dance before, and that I'm never more than a foot away from Leonard. And that, for the first time since I was a child, I feel...warm. Really warm, hot even! I can hardly even believe it. Leonard too seems to be feeling the effects of this insane room.

"Are you glad we came here?" I ask as a slower, more beautifully hypnotic song comes on.

_There's something in the look you give..._

"Never been more pleased in my life darlin'." He tells me, his hands resting on my back.

_I can't help myself I fall...I can't help myself at all..._

"Then could you kiss me Leonard? Please?" He looks slightly surprised by grins.

_There's something in your touch when we kiss..._

"I thought you'd never ask Quinn." And he's kissing me fiercely. All the tension and passion that's been steadily rising between the two of us over the last however long we've been here, and the banter of the last day, converges and explodes. And I've never been more happy.

"McCoy, we need to talk." We're interrupted by who else but Jim Kirk, who puts a hand on Leonard's shoulder with none of his usual lightness. I can tell, just by how serious he is in this moment, that it must be important. So before Leonard can complain, I nod and kiss his cheek.

"I'll go get drinks." I give the pair of them a smile, but only Leonard smiles back. As I walk away I hear Jim saying something about a problem arising. But then the music and the crowd has made listening impossible. I squeeze through the writhing mass of bodies with skill, dodging and turning until I've made it to the bar. I fit into a little space between people and give the bar tender a smile.

"What can I do for you sweetheart?" He asks happily.

"Can I get two Ferengi Black Holes, please?" He looks at me doubtfully.

"I'm gonna need an ID kid." Oh this. Never looking old enough. I go to grab said ID when the guy to my left laughs slightly.

"I can vouch for her. This is Quinn Ryker." I look at the guy, but his head is facing forward and he has an intense hood on. Between the hood and the dim flashing lights, I can't discern anything. Not even skin color or whether he's human. But he seems to have done me a favor, as the bar tender takes another look at me and realization dawns on his face. He blushes and stutters a bit.

"Oh my god, it is you! Excuse me Miss Ryker, I'll get those made up quick. No charge." I want to tell him that of course I'll pay for my drinks, but he's already gone. I huff a sigh but shrug, then look back at my hooded friend.

"Have we met?" I ask, having to shout over the new loud song that's just come on. He tilts his head towards me, but only very slightly so I still have no idea what he even looks like.

"In a way." He murmurs, his voice quiet but impressively deep. And profoundly familiar, though I have no idea how or who or why. I'm hit with deja vu, but the kind where it's right on the tip of your mind but somehow you can't remember for the life of you why it's familiar. But my good nature is telling me he can't be that bad. Besides, what could he possibly do bad to me in public? So I lean in closer.

"I feel like I know you. Or at least your voice. What's your name?" I ask as chipper as I can.

"You know my name. It must have just slipped your mind." I frown and reach out a hand to pull off his hood. I jump slightly as his gloved hand clamps over my wrist. "You might not like what you see." He warns, but releases my wrist.

"Who are you." I demand, no semblance of joking left in my tone. His voice is getting more and more familiar by the second, and something sinister in my mind is saying it's no one good. Still, it can't possibly be...

"Here you go miss. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. We don't get many billionaires in here." The bartender explains once he returns. I give him one of my, hopefully, dazzling smiles and sip from my drink.

"Thank you, it's wonderful." He flushes with pride and nods, turning to another customer.

"Where's your date Quinn?" My mystery neighbor asks quietly.

"I don't know. But I'd prefer you not to call me by my first name until I know yours." I fidget a bit uncomfortably and take another sip of my black hole to try and settle my nerves. "So what's the big secret? I mean why the hood?" Another of his dark little chuckles makes my stomach flip again. He glances at me again and I think I can just make out dark eyebrows and sharp cheekbones as well as a pale while nose. Okay so he's human. Probably.

"My face doesn't generally bring me luck these days."

"Oh?" I ask with a raised eyebrow. He looks at me for a long moment, but then turns away again before I can get anything off the bit of his face I see. I give up, instead searching the crowd for Leonard again. They must have stepped out to talk about their newly arisen problem. But I wish Leonard was back so I wouldn't be so uncomfortable. Lucille is mysteriously absent, and now Leonard is gone with Jim, who knows if he's coming back soon. This club actually kinda sucks without someone you like with you. With a sigh I lean back, decided to just wait it out. He'll be back. I'm sure he will be.

_-McCoy's POV-_

I frown as Quinn walks away. I want to go with her, in the worst way, but she isn't even out of earshot before Kirk starts talking.

"A problem has come up Bones. We need to get to Los Angeles. Quickly." He states, dragging me away off the dance floor. In the back of my mind I realize that Los Angeles is where Spock scooted off to with haste earlier in the evening, but why the hell am I being shepherded off as well? Jim pulls me all the way out of the club before I manage to put a foot down.

"Now hold on half a minute Jim! Of all the years you've known me, have I ever gone on a date?" He scowls at me but is silent, so I go on. "Exactly! I haven't been with a woman since my damn wife left Jim. Now there's a sexy young billionaire dancing with me and you want me to just up and go to Los Angeles? What the hell for Jim?" I demand.

"Khan." He states simply. All my breath feels like it's been sucked out of my lungs. Jim presses a PADD into my hands, clicking on a video footage file. The room with the people popsicles comes up on the screen, zoomed into Khan's pod. Light shines on it as the door to the room opens and very slowly a kid with a hoodie and jeans approaches it. Looking around, the kid types in the code on the top of the pod and steps back as the ice starts to melt. I can't even begin to fathom who the hell could do this! But, right here is proof. Khan gets up like it's no big deal and walks up to the kid. It looks like words are exchanged before he reaches out and puts his hand on their face, beneath the hood. Then, almost before I can blink, he reaches out his other hand to the other side and wrenches, the kid dropping instantly.

"Jesus." I murmur. Khan steps over the body, then looks right at the camera with that horrible smirk. "Who was it?" I ask Kirk as the feed stops. He hesitates for long enough that I think I might have to ask him again. But just before I'm going to, he sighs.

"It was Lucille Harewood. As far as we can guess, he manipulated her through their blood link and made her unfreeze him. We're pretty sure he's still in Los Angeles, but we aren't 100% positive. That's why we need to get moving." I nod, but hesitate.

"We should tell Quinn." He gives me a look that would make Spock flinch. "If he used Lucille, there's no reason he can't use Quinn. Especially given how much of his blood is in her!" I remind him. He shrugs at this, admitting defeat, and then gestures to the club.

"Well go get her, Sir Noble the Lovestruck. And be quick about it." He orders with sarcasm dripping from his words. Just before I can turn to go, his communicator goes off freezing me in my tracks. Maybe they got him. Maybe it was just a scare, and I can go back to dancing. Maybe. "Yeah Spock?"

"Captain, we have traced Khan's trail to an abandoned maintenance warehouse where it appears he was manipulating Miss Harewood into constructing a portable beaming device he used before. And Mr. Scott was able to track where he went. We are on our way to your location now Captain, as is Khan." All the color drains from my face and I numbly turn back to the club. He's come here. There's only one reason he'd come here, besides maybe a crazy vendetta against Jim, which I wouldn't doubt but don't think is the case. Quinn. He's come for Quinn.

-Quinn-

I don't know what freaks me out more about my hooded friend. The fact that he's being so quiet all the sudden, or the fact that he's so still. Like I think he's only moved two or three times since I came up to the bar! It's weird. And for some reason I can't stop thinking about it. If it were anyone else, I could just brush it off as whatever, some creepy fan of my business. But his voice is just so familiar. I glance at my almost finished drink and back at the crowd, trying to see if Leonard has come back in yet.

"Can I buy you another drink?" I jump a bit at his baritone voice as he starts speaking to me again.

"Thank you, but my date should be back soon." He wouldn't just take off without telling me, would he? I mean, if it were really that urgent I would understand, but it would be nice if he could tell me before disappearing. And where the hell is Lucille? I haven't seen her since we walked in!

"I hope he is." He tells me with something like sarcasm in his voice. But I ignore it, instead watching the entrance. The song changes to something that starts out pretty mellow but suddenly explodes into deep basses that I can feel in my chest.

_I'm waking up to ash and dust...I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust...I'm breathing in the chemicals..._

I can't help but inhale and exhale in time with the song, laughing a bit to myself. A smile reaches my face as Leonard and Jim finally appear back inside. But...they both look far from okay. In fact, Jim looks one step below furious and Leonard looks terrified. I wave slightly, catching Leonard's eye and he immediately starts towards me, pretty quickly too.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask as soon as he's close enough.

"We need to get you home, now." He tells me, as quietly as he can considering how loud it is in here.

"What? Why?" I ask, my voice cracking a bit. He's so frantic, looking around like we're being watched or threatened. "What did Jim tell you? What's going on?" He opens his mouth, probably to tell me he can't divulge any secrets, but I give him a look that I hope communicates how badly I want him to just tell me. He leans down so his lips are by my ear.

"It's Khan. He made Lucille wake him up, and killed her. And now he's somewhere in the general area. Now please, we have to go." I feel like my stomach has turned to lead suddenly as my brain goes into hyper drive. I'm not cold anymore. And my mysterious bar mate. Why he sounds so familiar. I think I knew the minute he spoke who he was, but I just didn't want to believe it. And now I can hardly summon enough courage to turn and look at the back of his still hooded head. His deep chuckle barely rises to my ears. "What are you doing Quinn, we have to go!"

"Leonard. I know where Khan is." He tilts his head to the side, his forehead creasing in confusion. The hooded guy stands slowly, downing the rest of his drink before he very dramatically pulls back his hood and smirks at the two of us. I feel my heart jump to my throat and my stomach fall to the floor at that devastating smirk on that abnormally handsome face. And he seems to be casting the same effect on Leonard.

Before I can blink, he's pulled out a phaser and there's a flash of energy before Leonard drops. Several people around us scream and the music scratches to a stop. The entire area around us clears, but I feel oddly paralyzed. As bad as I want to run, or kneel to make sure Leonard is okay, I can't move.

"Move! Get out of the way! Move!" I can hear Jim yelling over the pandemonium, but obviously he's like a fish swimming upstream.

"This is going to tingle." Khan tells me, with a wide grin, before he fires again and my world goes black.


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: Hey guys, I'm super, super sorry about how long it's taken me to update this! It's been so crazy around my house lately, and I haven't had a lot of time to work on my stories. But here's a new chapter. It's short, shorter than usual at least, but I do what I can when I can. I hope you all like it, despite the shortness, and hopefully the next one will be longer. _

OOOOO

The first thing I notice when consciousness starts coming back to me is that my hands are pretty darn numb. Wiggling my fingers shoots tingles all up and down my arms and it's really uncomfortable. I try to move my hands, maybe they've just been in an awkward situation for a long period of time, but find that they're cuffed behind me, probably to the chair I'm sitting in. My ankles too, and there's a rope around my stomach and the back of the chair.

Blinking to clear up my vision, stuns really do some work on people, I notice that I'm in a laboratory like setting. It's all white with test tubes and glowing liquids and microscopes on every available inch of counter top. And the air smells like disinfectant and just...sterile. I would feel like I was home in the lab, but for the wonderful binds.

"You're awake." I jump and my head snaps to my left where I can barely make out a humanoid figure through my still blurry vision. I can only assume, from the baritone voice that sends a shiver up my spine, that it's Khan.

"How...how long was I out?" I sound frickin drunk, my speech slow and slightly slurred.

"Three hours. Plenty of time to beam us aboard my ship and warp out of the solar system." He sounds so very bored with his own daring escape.

"And Leonard? Is he okay?" I don't mean for my voice to get shriller, but I'm exhausted and recovering from a stun and just plain worried. Khan walks further into my field of view, his face taking form and separating into a nose and eyes and a cruel, smirking mouth rather than a blob.

"The good doctor is taking longer to recover from his stun." He gestures across the laboratory, to a table that I can kinda see someone hunched over on.

"But...why bring him with us? What do you want?" He comes closer, his acutely sharp cheekbones coming into focus along with the alarming blue of his eyes. Eyes I'd hoped to never see again. I still remember them from the first time we met. Mom and dad were so worried about me. Fussing over my messy hair, straightening my outfit and telling me to be respectful of whoever it was that we were going to see. I remember walking into a weird office and meeting a man they introduced as John Harrison, who they said would help me. And I guess he did. He kept me alive. But then he killed my parents.

"I brought Dr. McCoy to assist me in my studies. As for what I want...there are many things. All things that shall come to light soon enough. You'll have to excuse me, I have to lay our course for the autopilot." With that he disappears, the doors to the laboratory closing behind him. I keep blinking, trying to finish clearing my vision. My skin still tingles with energy from the stun, but at least the tormenting pins and needles I feel in my hands and ankles are finally receding. Once my eyes feel like they're fully functioning again, I immediately look to where the hunched over Leonard is. His head is on the laboratory table, and I think his arms are tied behind his back, like mine are, from the way his shoulders go back.

"Dr. McCoy!" I kind of half shout, half whisper. I want him to hear me and wake up, but I also don't want to attract Khan's attention from where ever he disappeared to. "Bones!" I try Jim's nickname for him, feeling myself smile slightly despite the situation. I curse in my head when he still doesn't hint at waking and lean back in my seat. I wish I knew what would become of me...of us. Khan said something about Leonard helping him with his studies. What studies though? Will I become part of his studies. Is that the reason he helped me years ago, to study me? I need answers!

"Quinn..." I nearly give myself whiplash looking back up at Leonard, who appears to be coming too, finally. He blinks quickly, like I did, and seems just as confused as I must have. He looks around his immediate area, staring intently at the table his head was just on, before his eyes flick to the entire room.

"Leonard." I sigh in relief. He seems to be recovering much quicker than I did. It makes me wonder if being stunned gets easier, or if it's partial to genders or ages.

"Quinn...everythin's blurry." He admits, his southern drawl really thick for some reason.

"Don't worry, it clears up quickly." I murmur with a small smile. "Are you okay?"

"Far as I can tell. You?" He tries squinting to see me better, but then growls in frustration.

"I'm okay. My hands are tingly." We look at each other in silence for a long moment, neither of us really knowing what to say. Eventually I can tell that his eye sight is back to normal, because he looses some tension in his shoulders. "Leonard I'm sorry. I knew I should have gotten away from him the second he started talking. And I just sat there, denying it was him." I have to force the last few words out, since my throat is closing up with a sob. He shakes his head vehemently.

"No, it's not your fault Quinn. We all thought he was gone. Asleep forever. How could you have known it was him?" He insists, quite soothingly actually.

"My voice, Dr. McCoy. She recognized me from my voice, but decided to deny it was indeed me." We both look to the door of the laboratory and the newly arrived Augment standing there.

"You goddamn bastard, let her go!" Leonard demands. Khan considers him for a moment before walking up to my chair and unlocking my wrists. I look at Leonard who looks just as confused as I feel.

"It is not Quinn that concerns me for the moment. I simply restrained you so you would not hurt yourself in your unconscious state." Khan says simply. "I will warn you, however, that should you try to escape, consequences will be severe. For both yourself and Dr. McCoy." I nod slowly and rub my wrists. They're bright red, the cuffs having been pretty tight, but they're not bleeding or bruised from the look of it. He kneels to unlock my ankles and I feel a blush work up into my cheeks. I wish I could hide it, but I know both of them can see it, plain as day. "You will be restricted to this room and your room for the time being, I'm afraid. When we arrive at our destination, I will consider giving you a wider range of options. How much freedom you are afforded will be based, of course, on your conduct here." Khan continues, and I'm really very glad he's not pointing out the traitor blush.

"What destination? Where are you taking us?" Leonard demands. Khan sets aside both pairs of cuffs and pulls out a small knife to slash the rope.

"Someplace safe." Khan says simply. He holds out his hand for me, which I begrudgingly take. He helps me up, noting every quiver of every muscle.

"Do all people react this way to stuns?" I ask with irritation. I feel like a kid, so dependent. It's really very annoying.

"Most do. Others become quite sicks, and other have no visible reaction." He sounds so scientific, his voice calculating. Another blush works itself up as I accidentally think about how seductive and warm his voice was in some of my dreams. He smiles very minutely before leading me to a table that I can hold onto for support while I recover. "As for you, Dr. McCoy, if I release you now, I have no guarantee that you will not attack me, despite the fact that you know it would be a fruitless attempt." Leonard frowns but holds his head high with pride.

"Well, it's like you said, it would be fruitless. A waste of energy." Even I can tell how fake that sounds from him. I frown, but Khan smirks.

"You're assurances aside, I feel it would be unwise to allow you freedom at this moment. But we _should_ start our work soon. I'd like to have most of it done by the time we reach our destination. I will take Quinn to her room and return to see if you can be reasoned with Doctor." He puts his arm around my waist for my support, and I suspect to annoy Leonard, and begins to lead me away.

"You better not hurt her!" Leonard calls angrily. Khan stops cold and looks over his shoulder with a look of utter disgust on his face.

"Why would I ever hurt her?" I can't help the rush of goosebumps that cover my arms. Leonard looks a bit scolded, and Khan appears satisfied by that. He promptly returns to his task, helping me out the door and down a short hallway. We go through a doorway that opens to another, even shorter hallway, which has four doors that face away from each other. "These are your quarters. They shall remain locked, for now, and if you need me, you may press the button on the comm. My quarters are across from yours, and the Doctor's will be adjacent to yours." He explains, typing a quick code on my quarter's monitor. The doors slide open revealing a modest room with a twin bed, a desk, a dresser, and a door that I suspect leads to a bathroom.

"Uh, thank you." It feels weird thanking the man who's haunted my dreams for years, but I don't know what else to say. He helps me to the bed, which I lean against rather than sit on. I've done enough sitting recently.

"I know you have questions. Questions only I can answer. But they must wait." He almost sounds sympathetic to me, almost.

"Can you at least answer one?" He hesitates but nods. "Is it true what Dr. McCoy said in the club? Did you use Lucille and then kill her?" He nods after a long moment. "Why?"

"I told you before, that I would kill her if it suited me. Just because she had my blood did not make her special to me." His voice is so devoid of emotion, but my heart is in my throat, remembering the dream from only a few nights ago when he said that almost word for word. "The only reason she came to your home was because I told her to. She was under my instruction the entire time. And when she suggested you all go to a club, she left by way of a transportable beaming device and freed me."

"And then you killed her." I whisper. "Why? She helped you, why would you kill her?"

"She wanted to be free of my influence. But even if Dr. McCoy removed every cell of my blood from her body, she would never really be able to move on. To forget me, and my presence all these years. The only true way to free her was to kill her." I feel my knees shaking a bit and I sit down slowly. He stands rigidly for a moment before sighing and crouching in front of me so I'm looking down at him for a change. "I do not understand why you are so upset. You knew her for three days."

"It doesn't matter if I only knew her for three days. I could have known her for three hours and I would be upset." He frowns and I glower at him.

"That is strange to me. Caring that much, so quickly." He murmurs.

"And killing is strange to me. I guess we're both going to have to get used it." We share mutual looks of annoyance for a moment before he stands and adjusts his slightly ruffled shirt.

"I suppose so. If you need me, I shall be working. I suggest you get some rest. You may still get sick from the stun." He speaks so apathetically before he leaves briskly, activating the lock on my door from the outside. I glare at the carpet in front of me for a long moment before I collapse back with a huff. I used to think the intimacy and warmth of his voice in the dreams was a curse. But the cold, stoic, monotone drawls he uses now is so much worse. And how can he be so lax about killing Lucille! He was the one who saved her life after all! How can someone he saved mean so little to him?

I shiver slightly and pull a sheet over myself, immediately taking pleasure in the warmth it provides. For all the terrible things that have happened since he's woken up, I can't help but be glad that I'm not cold anymore. That a sheet can warm me up. That my body is naturally warm again. It's blissful. I just wish that the consequences of my warmth weren't so severe. I wish Khan hadn't woken up. I wish my parent's hadn't gone to Khan to save my life. I wish none of this had happened. I guess no one listens to wishes anymore.

OOOOO

_Post AN: There it is, hope it wasn't terrible. Leave a review, if you can, and I'll try to update quicker next time. _


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